Are you thinking of going on a biking trip? If yes, that’s awesome. Biking trips are massive fun, give you a sense of personal freedom and adventure. To have a lot of fun, though, you need a few bare essentials.
Sure, you can carry a lot of junk –although that isn’t advisable, but there are certain must-have items that you should carry on your trip, otherwise, you could end up having a less than perfect trip.
In this article, we’ll be looking at some of those must-have items and listing them here for you. Think of it as a checklist for your biking trip that will help prevent a lot of stress and frustration.
Rain Gear and Dry Bags
If you’ll be biking during the winter or spring, it’s better to always have a rain gear to keep you dry and comfortable. The same goes for having a dry bag to keep your valuables intact and dry.
On the road, your cell phone, change of clothes, wallet, keys and cards are your best friends –apart from other riders of course. Keep them protected by locking them in a dry bag, such as the ones sold at adventurelion.com or a zip lock bag.
Bike Tool Kits
Bikes can and do break down in the middle of your trip. Sometimes, the solution to the problem could lie in your bike tool kits.
Without these, you could be stuck for hours trying to reach the right mechanic. You should also have a can of Fix-a-Flat with you always just in case your tires get punctured and you need to still ride for some distance to get to the nearest bike repair shop.
An Extra Pair of Gloves
Sweaty palms are common among bikers. Wearing the same wet or sodden glove the next day just feels yucky. So, grab a spare while you leave the other one out to dry.
More importantly, your neck and hands play a key role in regulating your body temperature. Leaving them exposed for prolonged periods can result in health problems. The gloves will surely help keep your fingers warm.
Standard Physical Maps
We know that GPS technologies have gotten more advanced, thus making navigation easier. The problem, however, is that they aren’t 100 percent perfect. There are navigational tools that will misdirect you. Having a standard map is good for comparison.
You don’t want to end up in the middle of nowhere with no gas and no accurate map to show you how to get back on the road. While you could choose out of the many map types, you should consider getting Butler Maps. They are specifically suited to riders and provide you with the best routes or stops along the way.
Helmets and Goggles
Safety first, right? Well, you’ll need both on your biking trip. Luckily, most bikers never ride without them, so you shouldn’t as well. Your helmets protect you from head injuries in the event of an accident which can happen to anyone regardless of riding knowledge or expertise.
Goggles protect your eyes from being exposed to the dirt and occasional debris that could get in your eyes while riding. If you think this is unimportant, wait until you’re doing 100 miles an hour and have a speck get in your eye at that speed, and you’ll never repeat the same mistake again. For someone who is just taking his/her first biking trip, never go without goggles or sunglasses at the very least.
Cash
Yep, that’s correct. You will find that some places don’t accept credit cards or conduct any form of automated transactions. You should, therefore, always have some cash on you as well as your cards. That way, if you run out of cash, you could easily get to the nearest ATM to withdraw some money.
